All About Books discussion

Please discuss our winner here.
If you have already read the book, you can freely share the spoilers here.

I read this book some time ago, and upon reflection, what I liked most about it was the way the author blended hard science in with speculative ideas on what fate awaits us, if we don't finally do something decisive about CO2 in the atmosphere. The story is brutal in places, uplifting and even humorous in others. His description of a Category 7 hurricane, gives me image flashbacks as we approach hurricane season once again, here in the Southeastern US.

The year is 2099 and hordes of people are migrating north to escape intense heat and drought that has turned some areas into deserts. This story follows three different groups of people in the American Midwest and Canada as they deal with the extreme weather and more. The situation for humans is worsened by a technological attack that leaves much of the civilized world without electricity or internet.
The portrayal of the individual characters as they deal with the unravelling of society was fascinating. The book also describes in vivid detail, powerful hurricanes that seem to come in waves across the continent, not just in the south, but as far north as Minnesota.
But the technological meltdown is not complete. For the ultra-rich, life goes on in relative comfort thanks to quantum computers and highly advanced robots. One of my favorite characters was a highly intelligent computer program called an 'entity' which is assigned to protect a wealthy heiress who is trying to come up with a computer code to reduce the threat from hurricanes.
I enjoyed the story. There were a few complex passages describing weather and meteorology but overall this was a quick, easy read. Although there was some violence, and horrific incidents, I found the descriptions appropriate. I would recommend the book for Sci-Fi fans and those interested in climate. Dystopian but not totally without hope. The story held my attention throughout.

Minnesota currently is warming faster than many US states https://www.kare11.com/article/weathe...
We have polar amplification due to being the highest latitude in the 48 contiguous states. Winter warming more rapidly than summers. I am from Minnesota and was delighted to see my state mentioned.

I thought the author did a good job weaving science throughout the plot, but the characters move the story forward the most.
The book does impose on the reader a certain responsibility for knowledge. For example if one does not know that hurricanes rarely, if ever make it as far north as Minnesota, pythons do not live in Kansas and 120-degree temperatures in the Midwest would require a new way of living, you might not appreciate dire points in the story. The book is suitable for younger readers and that's why I mention this, because some younger readers may
not fully grasp the extent of the disaster.
Also: Category 6 and 7 hurricanes do not now exist, but if they did, they would create continent-shifting disasters that would force millions to flee to safer areas. The author does not lay these things upon us with a heavy hand, but weaves them into the plot, as the way things simply are in the year 2099.
Finally, in the end the boy does not get the girl, and vice-versa. Some may find this disappointing. I found it mostly realistic, considering the scenario.
With a couple of small exceptions I thought the whole thing was chillingly realistic.

That's very interesting since the novel features Minnesota dealing with refugees and hurricanes in the future. On my last visit to your state, it was mighty cool and pleasant...in September, mind you.

Carolyn wrote: "Minnesota currently is warming faster than many US states https://www.kare11.com/article/weathe...
We have polar amplification due to being the highest latitude i..."

Margaret wrote: "I thought the author did a good job weaving science throughout the plot, but the characters move the story forward the most.
The book does impose on the reader a certain responsibility for knowled..."
We get land hurricanes - derechos

Barry wrote: "That's very interesting since the novel features Minnesota dealing with refugees and hurricanes in the future. On my last visit to your state, it was mighty cool and pleasant...in September, mind y..."
There is weather and there is climate - different things.

Harry wrote: "I read this book some time ago, and upon reflection, what I liked most about it was the way the author blended hard science in with speculative ideas on what fate awaits us, if we don't finally do ..."
My Midwest Book Review of The Hurricane Code


What would life be like on Earth during the year 2099? James Aura tells us about a new hurricane scale with eight levels instead of only five. Category 8 was added in 2099 with winds up to 270 miles per hour, which would not be survivable. Climate refugees are traveling toward the north and south, away from the equator. The daily temperatures everywhere are almost unbearable.

Authentic characters, a suspenseful plot involving various groups of people the migrants have to deal with along the way, and believable science-based possible situations.

In this story, the characters are trying to get to Canada and Alaska for better weather portions of the calendar year. By the end of this book, I thought maybe we should all pack right now and get going. Or, we could perhaps deal with climate change directly. A must-read for book lists for the environmentally-minded!

http://www.midwestbookreview.com/rbw/...

This was my review:
Dystopian but also hopeful. A crystalline vision of a world where tropical predators inhabit the American Midwest; AI runs transportation and much of the government, and intelligent computer programs can travel the globe to do a user's bidding by voice command.
Native American culture and values play a role and remind us to listen to the Earth, even when we feel most disconnected from it. Plenty of darkness but also moments of comic relief. Good characters and nice writing in this climate fiction tale. My teenage nephew recommended it, and glad he did.
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I'll add that the author opened the window to the future in a fascinating way. Not only on weather, but cultural and tech trends. Let's hope they don't all happen.

This was a climate dystopia story, but with a heart. I became quite engaged in the trek by a couple of the people fleeing horrific weather in the year 2099. Some interesting tech predictions too, some likely, some well, let's say the author has quite an imagination.
I liked it a lot. The ending had a twist, didn't turn out quite the way I expected, but overall it was a good story.

I thought the author did a good job of humanizing climate science with graphic descriptions of conditions on the ground, as well as big-picture overviews from the quantum computer lab in Canada.
Many of the dire conditions are plausible. Let's hoping they don't all come to pass for the younger generation that will have to deal with all this.
Liked the little twist at the very end where the robot 'mistook' one of the bad guys for a bear. Had to chuckle at that one.

The story did have bits of humor, which provided a break from some of the darker scenarios. I thought the scene where Marie recoils from the violence in the Union transportation station was one of the bleaker moments. I would have liked for Gabe and Roxanne to get together in the end, but the actual outcome was probably better for them both.

The split-up between Gabe and Roxanne was kind of an unexpected twist, but considering their differences, it made sense. I liked the final wrap up where the author summarized the fate of many of the characters. Roxanne deserved better, but oh well.

Margaret wrote: "The story did have bits of humor, which provided a break from some of the darker scenarios. I thought the scene where Marie recoils from the violence in the Union transportation station was one of ..."

I liked this one a lot. A good example of vivid world-building and an interesting mix of Sci-Fi and Climate science. My favorite character was probably the sentient A.I. Searcher, who acts as a kind of observer/narrator with his questions and comments, but there were several good characters in the story. For me, it was a page turner.